The City of Victoria has announced the closure of the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre and a number of its facilities to curb the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in the community.
This measure was taken after provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry amended her provincial health order to ban all gatherings greater than 50 people.
“Federal and provincial health authorities have urged increased social distancing measures and today the Prime Minister told Canadians to ‘stay at home.’ That’s why today the City is taking the measures within our jurisdiction to limit contact between people and to keep our community safe and healthy,” said Mayor Lisa Helps.
“We know these are challenging times for everyone and we all need to pull together to support each other in new and creative ways, while keeping the important social distances that the health professionals recommend.”
City of Victoria recreation programs and services offered at the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre and Royal Athletic Park will therefore close at 5 p.m. today until further notice.
The city will be issuing refunds for anyone affected by programs cancelled during the closure.
Authorities are also advising community and senior centres run by independent non-profit societies to shut down to mitigate risk of transmission during the global pandemic.
After a recommendation from the Chief Medical Health Officer for Island Health, the city is also requesting a postponement of the byelection to replace councillor Laurel Collins which was originally scheduled to take place on April 4th.
Victoria City Hall will also be open by appointment only starting Tuesday, March 17th, as authorities urge the public to use MyCity Online to access online payments and services.
Further, the city has moved to postpone all public engagement events until further notice, including any scheduled open houses, workshops, meet-ups, and the Mayor’s Community Drop-In.
This Thursday’s Council of the Whole meeting will continue as planned, but information about future council meetings is to be determined.
See all the latest updates about the global COVID-19 pandemic on Vancouver Island
There are now 30 new cases of novel coronavirus in B.C., including seven on Vancouver Island, bringing the total number of cases to 103 in the province.
Six people are now in acute care in hospital, while everyone else is recovering at home in isolation, in stable condition. Three people have died due to novel coronavirus, all of whom were residents at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver. This brings the COVID-19 death toll to four in B.C.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government will be denying entry to Canada to people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents in Canada.
Designated exceptions to this rule include U.S. citizens, airline crews, diplomats, and people whose immediate families are Canadian.
Moreover international flights will now be restricted to international airports in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary.
Further federal measures to financially support Canadians, particularly the most vulnerable population, are expected to be announced on Tuesday.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 175,769.
Nearly 6,800 people have died from the illness and 77,868 have made a full recovery.
